Children are more vulnerable than adults. They’re innocent, unsuspecting, and inexperienced in the world. A child’s innocence makes it hard for them to fully understand adult issues like divorce. A child doesn’t understand the dynamics of a relationship and therefore cannot understand why their parents can’t work it out. All they know is one minute everyone is living together and the next minute they’ve got two homes because their parents can’t get along. 

A child watching their parents go through a divorce will experience an emotional rollercoaster of stress and anxiety, and might even blame themselves for the breakup. The following strategies can help protect your kids emotionally during a divorce:

1. Don’t move if you don’t absolutely have to

When you’re the one who has to move out of the family home, it’s tempting to move as far away as possible. You may not mind taking a long drive to visit or pick up your child, but your child probably will. Find a home close to your child’s school and friends. It’s the right thing to do for them. If you move too far away, your child will have to make new friends and they will miss the close friends they’ve already made. 

Kids are easily distraught over moving

Psychology Today summarized a study that found frequent moves are tough on kids because moving disrupts important friendships. Moving is exceptionally hard on introverts and kids who tend toward anxiety and inflexibility. The study, published in the Journal of Social and Personality Psychology, noted that adults who moved frequently as kids had fewer high-quality relationships and scored lower in areas like wellbeing and life satisfaction. According to the study, traumatic moves are precipitated by family problems like a financial crisis or a divorce. 

It’s hard enough to get used to living in two houses when one parent moves out, but what happens when either parent has to move again? With both parents living on their own, there’s a greater chance that each parent will need to move again in the near future.

2. Seek mediation as soon as possible

Mediation takes the fight out of the process and allows you to keep your child’s best interests in mind. Avoid stressful litigation with your former spouse by using mediation as soon as possible. 

A family law attorney will help you mediate property distribution and find ways to make sure your children are happy before you sign the divorce papers. Taking care of these matters as quickly as possible prevents the stress of fighting later on.

3. Get family counseling

You may not want to be in the same room as your spouse, but family counseling is imperative. It’s in your child’s best interest to seek counseling as a family, even when you know you’re getting a divorce. 

Custody battles can take a huge toll on children, especially when they’re sideswiped by having to move or being told they’ll only see one parent during visitation times. 

Family counseling will help you find out how your child is feeling and what their concerns are. A divorce isn’t just between you and your spouse. Your child’s concerns need to be acknowledged and addressed as quickly as possible in a supportive environment.  

4. Don’t talk negatively about your former spouse

It doesn’t matter if your former spouse is the biggest con artist in the world – don’t talk negatively about them around your kids. If your kids are older, it might be okay to talk with them openly and share your concerns on a general level, but talking trash about their other parent has lasting consequences.

For example, if you’re the mother and your child has a strong bond with their father, the more you put their father down, the more your child will resent you. They’ll feel defensive of their dad and they will get tired of hearing you say mean things. If your child doesn’t have a relationship with their father, they might take on your grievances as if they are their own. 

Trash talking your former spouse to your kids can completely destroy their relationship.

Always do what’s best for your kids 

Divorce is messy and stressful for everyone involved. Don’t forget that your kids see and hear everything that’s going on. Keep their best interests in mind, and let their interests guide your choices and actions. You may have to swallow your pride, but your kids will be better off.

For the most part, people don’t normally think about the effects of aging when they’re in their 20s or 30s. For whatever reason, 40 tends to be the point at which they start to think: “I’m getting old!”

It’s never too early to focus on making healthy life choices, of course, but 40 is as good a mile marker as any to start to make sure you’re on the right path. 

Adopt These Healthy Habits

As life expectancies have increased, 40 has become the new 30. If you treat your body right and make smart, conscientious decisions, you can live a happy and healthy life for many decades to come. Here are some habits we suggest you might adopt as you start the fifth decade of your life.

• Get a Yearly Eye Exam

Even if you’ve gone through life with perfect vision and never had the need to get an eye exam, 40 is the age at which you should schedule a visit. “You should see your optometrist or ophthalmologist at least once a year after you turn 40, even if you don’t wear glasses or contact lenses,” Swagel Wootton Eye Institute suggests.

“Many serious eye diseases like diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma are asymptomatic until their later stages, which is why an annual check-up is essential even if your eyes feel great.”

• Check Your Blood Pressure Every Week

Age 40 is the ideal time to begin tracking your numbers for such factors as blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Blood pressure is especially easy to check and should be done weekly.

You can either purchase a monitor to use at home or head to your local pharmacy where they should have a machine you can use. Use this Mayo Clinic chart to interpret your numbers.

• Hit the Gym

“Age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, is a natural part of aging,” Harvard Medical School explains. “After age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade.”

Once you reach the age of 40, you can lose as much as 1 percent of your muscle mass per year, which is why it’s worthwhile to hit the gym and incorporate weight lifting into your routine.

You don’t have to tackle heavy weights. You only need to stimulate your muscles so you maintain what you have.

Along with losing muscle as you age, weight gain is a common problem in men and women over 40. There are many ways to go about controlling weight gain, and sometimes just working out isn’t enough. If this sounds like you, a good place to start would be checking out reviews such as this Resurge supplement review.

• Take Sleep Seriously

A person’s quality of sleep tends to diminish with age. This is partly due to increased stress and responsibility, but the decline is also rooted in hormonal changes that start to emerge after the age of 40.

It’s highly recommended that you get a minimum of seven hours of sleep per night after you’ve turned 40. This will bolster your immune system, reduce stress levels, and help you recover from exercise.

If you have trouble falling asleep, developing a bedtime routine may help.

• Drink More Water

Hydration is vital for almost every facet of health and well-being — particularly after the age of 40. You should always have a bottle of water within easy reach.

Try drinking at least one glass of water with every meal, as well as one or two glasses between in each meal. If you like to drink coffee, alcohol, or other beverages, make sure to drink at least one glass of water per each of those drinks.

• Swap Screens for Books

There’s nothing wrong with spending time on social media or watching a TV show now and then, but you shouldn’t spend all your time focused on a screen. There are reasons to believe that excessive screen time can accelerate cognitive decline and dementia.

So you might want to swap out that screen for a book! Everyone over the age of 40 should aim to read at least two books per month. (This amounts to roughly 20 pages per day.)

If you do that, you’ll be forcing (or let’s say encouraging) your mind to be active and sparking the learning areas of your brain. This will lead to greater engagement and mental agility.

Give Your Body What it Needs

”Living in a clean environment can do wonders for health” says this Carpet cleaning NYC agency. Clean carpet and clean surroundings are essential to healthy living.

Everyone has unique health needs, conditions, strengths, and weaknesses. By the time we reach the age of 40, we all should have a plan in place for monitoring and managing our health, says Happy Cleans.

If you implement the preceding habits, you’ll discover that aging doesn’t have to be a miserable experience. In fact, you may find you’ve entered the best years of your life.

Summer is a time for unplugging, getting outside, and enjoying things like golf, tennis, biking, hiking, picnicking, yard games, hammocking, attending concerts, and grilling out with friends. But if you’re going to spend a lot of time in the great outdoors, make sure you’re protecting your skin and staying safe.

5 Tips for Staying Safe in the Sun

The sun isn’t necessarily any more dangerous to our bodies during the summer than any other time of year, but we do have to be more conscious of it. It’s typically hotter and there tend to be fewer clouds, but it’s mostly the fact that we spend more time outside that creates the need for greater protection. Here are some suggestions:

• Avoid Peak Hours

When possible, always avoid prolonged exposure to direct heat during peak sunlight hours (typically 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). This is when the sun is most intense and you face the greatest risk of sunburn. Instead, try to plan outdoor activities during the morning and late afternoon hours.

• Lather Up

Sunscreen isn’t something to apply sparingly or occasionally. While most people only think to use it when visiting the beach or pool, it’s important to wear it on a daily basis. It’s also smart to think about which type of sunscreen you’re wearing. Don’t automatically assume that higher SPF is always better.

“High-SPF sunscreens are made with higher concentrations of chemicals and some of these ingredients penetrating the skin in high doses may pose health risks, including tissue damage and hormone disruption,” HealthDesigns.net explains. “Sunscreen with values of 30-50 SPF will offer adequate sunburn protection if applied correctly, even for people most susceptible to sunburn.”

When purchasing sunscreen, look for products like BEAUTY OF JOSEON Relief Sun that are fragrance-free and don’t contain dangerous active ingredients or preservatives like methylisothiazolinone.

• Wear the Right Gear

In addition to sunscreen, be smart about what you wear. While it’s hot outside during the summer months, try to leave as little skin exposed as possible. Light, airy shirts and cover-ups are ideal. A hat can also provide significant protection for your face. And then there are sunglasses.

“Look for sunglasses that block 100 percent of all UV rays. Your optician can help you choose the best sunglass lenses for your needs,” Dr. Gary Heiting says. “To protect as much of the delicate skin around your eyes as possible, try at least one pair of sunglasses with large lenses or a close-fitting wraparound style.”

• Seek Shade

If you’ll be outside for long periods of time, it’s not enough to wear the right gear. You also need to seek shade whenever possible.

If you’ll be somewhere without much sun coverage – like watching your son’s little league baseball game or attending a block party in the cul-de-sac – consider using an EZ up canopy to provide a little coverage. If a canopy or tent isn’t practical, an umbrella can serve the same purpose.

• Hydrate

Most people make the critical mistake of not hydrating well enough during the summer. In doing so, they put their skin at increased risk of damage.

Make sure you drink the recommended eight to ten 8-ounce glasses or pure, filtered water each day. Not only does this help all of your muscles, joints, and organs function properly, but it also provides the proper moisture balance to protect your skin against the heat.

Get Outside and Enjoy the Sun

According to data gathered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American spends 93 percent of their life indoors (87 percent inside and 6 percent in automobiles). That means just 7 percent of the average day – or a little over 90 minutes – is spent outside.

While you may think you’re doing the right thing by staying inside and avoiding the sun, it’s actually not healthy or encouraged. Not only are pollutants higher inside than outside, but your body needs vitamin D from the sun (as well as the physical activity that typically comes with spending time outdoors).

Make it a point to get outside more this summer. And when you do get outside, be smart about how you protect your skin from the sun. In doing so, you’ll enjoy the best of both worlds!